Vane type rotary engines are well known in the art. Generally, these engines comprise an outer stator body defining a circular cavity having an inner annular wall. A rotor body in turn is eccentrically mounted in this circular cavity such that the outer wall of the rotor is in tangential engagement at one point with the inner wall of the cavity in the stator. A crescent-shaped volume is thus defined between the outer wall of the rotor and inner wall of the stator and by providing radially extending vanes from the rotor biased outwardly to engage the inner wall of the stator, this crescent shaped volume is divided into two or more volumes, depending upon the number of vanes, which will sequentially increase and decrease in size as the rotor rotates about its own axis.
In our copending patent application identified heretofore, such type of rotary engine is fully disclosed, the same being operated by an implosion effect created by the absorption of ammonia gas in water. In this respect, ammonia gas is introduced into the volumes that are increasing, the pressure of the gas causing the volume increase and after passing through a maximum size, water is injected to immediately absorb the gas and create a vacuum thus contracting or decreasing the volume. A push-pull effect is thus created on each vane to cause rotation of the rotor.
Such a rotary engine operating by implosion resulting from rapid absorption of gas in a liquid has numerous advantages over conventional internal combustion engines, principally the advantage of avoiding any pollution since a closed gas system can be utilized.
While the rotary engine described in our heretofore copending application would serve to power a vehicle, transmission coupling from the engine to the wheels of the vehicle would still be required. It would be highly advantageous if a driving engine for a vehicle could be so designed as to avoid the necessity of drive shafts, differentials, and the like associated with present day vehicles powered by an engine normally located in the forward portion of the vehicle.